Review of Prometheus.
As Ridley Scott had previously directed two of the all-timebest science fiction movies in Alien and Blade Runner, I had hopelessly
high expectations for his new movie Prometheus. I was therefore a bit
disappointed with it.
But the movie has stayed in my thoughts, unlike much of
the crap that makes it onto the big screen these days. Prometheus has had me
speculating. It is a film that has made me think, which is rare these days,
especially, and sadly so, for science fiction movies. Big budget generally means brain dead. But
Prometheus is not a movie for 15 year old males. Prometheus, like AI, requires
your brain to be engaged from the start.
the crap that makes it onto the big screen these days. Prometheus has had me
speculating. It is a film that has made me think, which is rare these days,
especially, and sadly so, for science fiction movies. Big budget generally means brain dead. But
Prometheus is not a movie for 15 year old males. Prometheus, like AI, requires
your brain to be engaged from the start.
The movie opens where? I initially thought on another
planet and didn’t get that it was in Scotland. This affected my initial
understanding of the film. At the start of Prometheus a humanoid looking alien
kills himself by a Scottish river, his DNA then very obviously mixes with the
river water. This is very significant for the rest of the movie.
planet and didn’t get that it was in Scotland. This affected my initial
understanding of the film. At the start of Prometheus a humanoid looking alien
kills himself by a Scottish river, his DNA then very obviously mixes with the
river water. This is very significant for the rest of the movie.
The plot then has archaeologists discovering cave
paintings of tall humanoid aliens pointing to a group of stars. Cut to couple
of years later and the archaeologists are on a spacecraft, billions of kilometres
from earth. They have gone to the stars in the painting hoping to find the
aliens who they think engineered earth and humanity.
paintings of tall humanoid aliens pointing to a group of stars. Cut to couple
of years later and the archaeologists are on a spacecraft, billions of kilometres
from earth. They have gone to the stars in the painting hoping to find the
aliens who they think engineered earth and humanity.
The film is being marketed as a prequel to Alien, but it
is not like Alien; it is not horror science fiction, although there are a few
scares. It is more a thriller. It is a film that challenges the viewer to work
out the answers, so I suspect that those who like everything explained to them
will say it had a lot of loose ends.
is not like Alien; it is not horror science fiction, although there are a few
scares. It is more a thriller. It is a film that challenges the viewer to work
out the answers, so I suspect that those who like everything explained to them
will say it had a lot of loose ends.
I saw the movie in 3D, which added depth to the images.
The special effects looked real instead of like a computer game. One problem is
there are too many characters for the movie to develop effectively. And the second
most interesting character died too early in the movie.
The special effects looked real instead of like a computer game. One problem is
there are too many characters for the movie to develop effectively. And the second
most interesting character died too early in the movie.
(spoiler alert) This is what I think the film was suggesting:
an alien either intentionally or accidentally seeded created modern humans when
it killed itself and its DNA mixed in with that of the Neanderthal. Millennia
later the rest of the aliens, in an effort to enforce their version of the
Prime Directive of non-interference in other worlds, set out to fix that
seeding of modern man by destroying it. But they are prevented from doing so
when they accidentally infect the spawn of other aliens who attack and destroy
their base. It seems their attempts to explore the universe have backfired badly on
them.
an alien either intentionally or accidentally seeded created modern humans when
it killed itself and its DNA mixed in with that of the Neanderthal. Millennia
later the rest of the aliens, in an effort to enforce their version of the
Prime Directive of non-interference in other worlds, set out to fix that
seeding of modern man by destroying it. But they are prevented from doing so
when they accidentally infect the spawn of other aliens who attack and destroy
their base. It seems their attempts to explore the universe have backfired badly on
them.
I think where the film ended would make the beginning of
a great sequel. As the Prometheus survivors take off in an alien spacecraft
heading towards the alien home world to ask them why they created humanity. In a lot of ways God could have been
substituted for the aliens.
a great sequel. As the Prometheus survivors take off in an alien spacecraft
heading towards the alien home world to ask them why they created humanity. In a lot of ways God could have been
substituted for the aliens.
So if you want to see more movies made that make you
speculate, go and see Prometheus. Otherwise we will just get more comic book
crap masquerading as science fiction.
speculate, go and see Prometheus. Otherwise we will just get more comic book
crap masquerading as science fiction.
0 Responses
I have to say I walked away disappointed in this flick. Maybe my expectations were too high. I found too many things weren't explored enough or ideas that should have been met on a deeper level. I thought as an action flick it was fine but for a Ridley Scott film…
I also couldn't help feeling I'd seen it before, most of the horror scenes seemed copied from Alien. And my last gripe is about the characters, I agree the young man was set up to be promising but he just kind of dwindled out before he was even killed and the woman in the lead wasn't punchy enough in her delivery, I would have liked to see the two leading female actresses swap roles. Ok, that's all. I'd probably give it 3 out of 5 but it had the potential to be 6.
Filming techniques were great though.